Amalgamator.



PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. G. FLETCHER, C. B. DAVIS & B. T.

DOUGLASS.

AMALGAMATOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

a 9 MIEW/A 3 8 lUrrn Srarns Patented November 24-, 1903.

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GEORGE FLETCHER, CHARLES E. DAVIS, AND BENJAMIN T. DOUGLASS, OF ST. CLAIR, NEVADA.

AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,047, dated November 24, 1903.

Application filed August 13,1902. Serial No. 119,507. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE FLETCHER, CHARLES E. DAVIS, and BENJAMIN T. Douc- LASS, citizens of the United States, and residents of St. Clair, in the county of Churchill and State of Nevada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Amalgamators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to improvements in amalgamators; and one object that we have in view isthe provision of a simple and cheap construction by which we are able to collect and retain the small particles of precious metals of the kind technically known as flour-gold and flour-quicksilver from the pulp, tailings, sand, or other material.

In our apparatus we employa pit or chamber designed to contain a bath of quicksilver and divided into compartments by an intermediate parting-strip, which is especially constructed to prevent the charge under pressure of the water from forcing its way back of the bath. In the apparatus is arranged a series (one or more) of partitions suspended adjustably in position and forming between themselves an intermediate water-pressure chamber into which is fed the material to be treated. Each partition is provided at the lower end with a pair of amalgamati'ng members in the form of coated strips arranged to 'form between themselves an intermediate tion are suspended just above or in contactwith the bath, whereby the pressure of the water and the charge accumulating in the pressure-chamber displaces the bath, so as to permit thin streams of the substances to pass over the bath and below the amalgamating members.

The invention further consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter described, and the actual scope of the invention will be defined by the claims.

Referenceis to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure. 1 is a perspective View of an amalgamator constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating a portion of the mercury-gage and draw-off cock.

The base 5 of our improved amalgamator is provided with narrow side walls 6, with the narrow fixed partitions 7 and the high end walls 8, all these parts being joined firmly or solidlytogethertoprovideasubstantial frame, as shown by the drawings.

The end walls 8 extend a considerable distance above the side walls 6 and the partitions 7, and these partitions are a little higher than the side walls 6. The partitions are parallel to the side walls, and they form there with the intermediate raceways 9, said raceways extending longitudinally of the apparatus. (See Fig. 1.) The bottoms 9 of the raceways incline or slope toward one end wall 8, and the raceways 9 discharge into the openings 10, the latter being provided in one end wall 8, so that the tailings and water will flow from the raceways and the spouts 11.v

The partitions 7 within the apparatus provide an intermediate shallow pit or chamber 12, adapted to contain the bath of mercury, which fills the chamber to the line indicated at as in Fig. 2, and this mercury-pit is divided into compartments bya parting strip or cham ber 13, arranged to extend longitudinally of the apparatus and disposed midway between the partitions 7. This parting-strip is provided with inclined top faces 14., and the side faces of this parting-strip are recessed or undercut, as at 15. In the recessed portions 15 of the parting-strip are secured the angular amalgating plates or strips 16, one of which is provided on each side of the parting-strip and arranged to face toward the fixed partitions 7. The recesses 15 and the angular metallic strips 16 extend longitudinally of the parting-strip 13, and these metallic strips are coated with a suitable amalgamating material to which will adhere the quicksilver that is contained in the compartments of the divided chamber or pit 12, thereby preventing the material under treatment from forcing its way between the quicksilver-bath and the amalgamating-strips 16. The partingstrip 13 is also provided in its lower edge with a series of transverse grooves .or passages 17, one of which is shown by Fig. 2, said grooves or passages opening through or below the metallic strips 16 and establishing com munication between the compartments of the quicksilver-pit12, thus allowing the quicksilver to pass from one compartment to the other and maintaining the quicksilver in both compartments at a uniform level.

18 19 designate adjustable partitions which are disposed in parallel relation to each other between the end walls 8, and these partitions are suspended within the apparatus for vertical adjustment therein. The end portions of the partitions are fitted in grooves 20, which are provided in the end Walls 8, as indicated by Fig. 1, and said partitions thus form tight joints with the end walls. The parallel disposition of the suspended partitions provides or forms a water-pressure chamber 21 within the apparatus, into which chamber is fed the material to be treated, together with the properquantityofwater. Anysuitablemeans may be adopted for adjusting the partitions within the apparatus; but as shown by the drawings we provide the metallic bars 22,

' having their end portions extended, as at 23,

over the end walls 8, said extended ends beingprovided with threaded openings to receive the adjusting-screws 24. These adj usting-screws bear upon the upper edges of the end walls 8, and they may be manipulated to raise or lower the partitions 1819. The lower ends of the partitions which are fitted in the grooved end walls terminate a suitable distance above the level of the quicksilver-bath and each partition is provided at its lower edge with a pair of amalgamating members 25 26. These members are in the form of flat metallic strips or plates, which are secured in any suitable way to the opposite sides of the partition 18 or 19, and these members extend a suitable distance below the lower edge of the partition, whereby a chamber 27 is formed between the parallel plates 25 26 and below the edge of the partition 18 or 19.

The parallel plates are support-ed by the partitions just above the line of the mercury orso as to be immersed partiy therein without destroying the intermediate chamber 27, in which the material is adapted to redistribute itself after passing the inner plate 26 of the pair of plates 25 26.

In the base 5, at one end thereof, is provided a passage 28, arranged to have communication with the chamber 29 of an inside shell 30, and .to this shell is fastened a mercury-gage 31, that lies at one end of the apparatus. The shell 30 is also provided with a cock or faucet 32 of any suitable description.

The material to be treated is first screened to remove large particles of matter therefrom, and this material, with a suitable quantity of water, is supplied to the chamber 21 of the apparatus by any suitable means. The partitions 18 19 having been properly adjusted and a proper quantity of quicksilver placed in the compartment or pit 12, the pressure of the Water displaces a small quantity of-the quicksilver,which rises in the spaces between the partitions 7 and 18 and 7 and 19 and is shown in the gage 31, said displacement of the quicksilver taking place relatively to the plates 25 26. The material and water pass in thin streams over the quicksilver-bath and below the edges of the plates 25 26, and the material thus enters the chambers 27 between the plates, in which the material is free to redistribute itself, and finally passes below the other plates, 26. During the passage of the material over the bath and below the plates 25 26, which are coated with quicksilver, the fine particles of gold or other precious metals are caught by the bath and by the plates,thereby amalgamating the metallic parts of the cm with the quicksilver. The tailings and Water after passing the plates 26 accumulate in the spaces between the partitions 7 l8 l9, and this material is adapted to overflow the partitions 7 into the raceways 9, whence it is discharged from the spouts 11. The parting-strip 13, having the beveled top faces 14, serves to uniformly divide the material which is fed to the pressure-chamber 21, and this material is thus distributed in practically uniform quantities toward the partitions 18 19.

The mercury contained in the pit 12 is free to pass from one compartment to the other through the grooves or passages 17, and this mercury obtains free access to the angular strips 16, to which the mercury adheres, so as to prevent the charge of material from forcing its way between the parting-strip and the quicksilver-bath. The screws 24: may be manipulated 'to raise the partitions 18 19 and the plates 25 26 thereon in order to determine the width of the opening between the level of the mercurybath and the lower edges of the amalgamating-plates. The gage 31 serves to indicate the maximum and minimum pressure of the material and Water supplied to the chamber 21, because the mercury will rise and fall. in the gage on an increase or decrease in the pressure when the device is in operation. This gage is also useful to indicate the expansion or contraction of the mecury by changes of temperature, and in collecting quicksilver from tailings the gage will indicate the addition of the maximum volume of quicksilver to the bath. The surplus quicksilver can be drawn from the pit 12 through the cock or faucet 32 at any time.

ICC

Having thus described our invention, we

tending below the quicksilver-level in the pit, the plates of each pair being disposed in parallel relation and forming an intermediate space in which auriferous material is free to distribute itself after passing one plate and before passing the remaining plate of the ber, amalgamating members disposed at the sides of the pressure-chamber and above the level of quicksilver in the pit, a divider disposed in the pressure-chamber in opposing relation to the amalgamating members and provided in its sides with undercut recesses, and other amalgamating members in said recesses of the divider.-

4:. An amalgamator comprising a casing having a pit and asuperposed pressure-chamber, amalgamating members disposed at the sides of the pressure-chamber and above the pit, a divider rising from the pit into the pressure-chamber, between said amalgamating members, and provided in its lower edge with a transverse channel and in its sides with undercut recesscs,and other amalgamating members housed in said recesses of the divider and lying below the normal level of quicksilver in the pit.

5. Anamalgamatorhavingasuitablecasing provided with a quicksilver-pit, parallel partitions arranged in said casing to form an intermediate pressure-chamber which lies over said pit and which is of uniform crosssectional area throughout its depth, a dividing-strip extending upwardly from the pit into thepressure-chamber, and pairs of parallel amalgamating-plates attached to said partitions directly over the pit and disposed for the inner plates of each pair to lie in opposing relation to said dividing-strip, the plates of each pair being arranged parallel to form between themselves aspace or chamber in which aurit'erous material is free to distribute itself after passing one plate and before passing to the other plate.

6. An amalgamator having a pit, a pressure-chamber, amalgamating members at the bottom of the pressure-chamber and over the pit, and a divider at the bottom of the pressure-chamber and having deflectingfaces inclined toward said amalgamating members, said divider being provided with recesses below the deflecting-faces and with amalgamating-surfaces in said recesses.

7. An amalgamator having a quicksilverpit, pairs of amalgamating members suspend ed over the pit and forming intermediate distributing-chant]bers, and a parting-strip having amalgamating-strips exposed on 0pposite sides thereof for access to the quicksilver contained in said pit.

8. An amalgamator comprising a casing having a quicksilver-pit, partitions fitted in said casing to form between themselves an intermediate pressure-chamber which lies over said pit, a dividing-strip extending upwardly from the pit and into said pressurechamber, means for individually adjusting said partitions in a vertical direction and with relation to said pit, and amalgamatingplates supported by said partitions for adjustment therewith and disposed at the sides of the pressure-chamber and directly over said pit, said members being spaced to form distributing-chambers between themselves.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE FLETCHER. CHARLES E. DAVIS. BENJAMIN T. DOUGLASS.

Witnesses:

WARREN T. GOLDING, THEODORE WETMORE. 

